


Temporarily Forgotten

by SiberianRose



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Christmas Presents, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Secret Santa, Violetshipping Secret Santa (Yu-Gi-Oh), violetshipping 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:15:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28231548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiberianRose/pseuds/SiberianRose
Summary: When Seto pulls his own name for the Yugi-tachi gift exchange he thinks no one will notice or care.Thinking he is forgotten. That is until Jou shows up on Christmas Eve with a gift in hand, just for the cold CEO.
Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	Temporarily Forgotten

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kaijouP](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaijouP/gifts).



They filled the small cozy livingroom to bursting with life, excitement, joy, and laughter. Seto Kaiba sat curled in one of the massive arm chairs observing the assembled group chatter and laugh as they all decided what they were doing for Christmas.

As a business owner, Seto loved this time of year. As a person, he loathed it to the depths of his soul. 

It often felt that no matter how much of an effort he made to fit in, to be better, to act normal, it was never enough. The Christmas season always made that painfully clear to him. 

Watching the others move about the room, talk and smile as if they belonged there made the distance between Seto and the rest of the group feel insurmountable. It always made him feel less like a human and more like the robot Jounouchi always accused him of being. 

Yet, Seto made the effort to show up, to participate, to act human. He did it for Mokuba. Two years ago, when his little brother had come to him with tears in his eyes and begged him to change, Seto knew he couldn’t go on as he was or he’d lose the only person who ever mattered to him. 

Change was not a simple thing. For Mokuba, Seto was willing to discard everything about himself and change. No matter what he changed, it seemed everything stayed the same. 

It was hard for the others to put aside long held past grievances and see that Seto was trying to change, trying to be better. 

So many of them still saw the terrified teenaged boy that hid his pain and insecurities behind a wall of ego, pride, anger, and cruelty. 

Seto couldn’t blame them. There were many times he’d look in the mirror and see the face of the monster he most feared becoming. 

“Alright guys! Since our group has grown so big, we are going to do a Secret Santa this year!” Yugi’s chipper voice cut through the chatter, bringing quiet to the group. 

“I put everyone’s name in a hat so if you get yourself, your partner, or your sibling, just drop the name in and pick a new one!” Yugi said, clapping his hands then digging into the hat before pulling out a name. 

The hat came to Seto last as Honda flung it at him with a scant glance. It had been a very long time since Seto had gotten a gift from anyone that wasn’t his brother. Heart leaping in excitement, he pulled out the last little slip, carefully undoing the folds, eager to see whose name they had given him. This was his chance. A slim chance to prove he was more than they all thought him to be.

Staring at the name on the paper, Seto felt all his hopes come crumbling down. ‘Your Secret Santa is: Kaiba’. The sight of his own name mocked him with cruel efficiency.

How many had picked his name and discarded it back to the hat? 

The question hurt. The more Seto stared at the paper, the more it stung. He wasn’t even granted his first name. He’d ceased being Seto and had become what he most dreaded, nothing more than a creature made of toil: Kaiba.

The light tug on the bottom of his shirt brought Mokuba’s attention to his brother. “Excited for the Secret Santa?” He chirped, his grin fading as he caught a brief pained look in his brother’s eyes. “You ok? It can’t be all bad. I’m sure if you put in a little effort you’ll find the perfect gift.”

“Something came up. I have to go.” Seto said his tone the same as ever, not letting the hurt seep through. 

“Oh. Ok.” Mokuba muttered, unable to keep the hurt he felt from his voice. Giving his brother a swift hug, he watched the other leave. There was something in the set of his brother’s shoulders that told him Seto was hiding his agony. His brother was good at hiding his pain, but Mokuba had seen the depths of his brother’s suffering, so he knew when Seto was wounded. “Guys, who got Seto’s name?” He called out to the group at large, his yell carrying over the din of excited whispers.

The raw note of anguished panic in Mokuba’s voice had Yugi searching the room, his enormous violet eyes scanning over the group. A few met the question with confusion while there were a few who faced the question with eyes down turned in guilt. “Who drew Kaiba-san’s name?” Putting authority into his tone, he scanned the room, reaching out to stroke down his young lover’s back. He knew how much Mokuba cherished his brother. 

“This isn’t funny. Who drew my brother’s name?” Mokuba asked, his panic rising. If Seto drew his own name, Mokuba knew his brother would be devastated but too prideful or too wounded to ask anyone to switch. “Someone had to have pulled his name. He was the last to choose. Someone has to have his name.” 

Sensing the shift in the mood, Jou stepped up to defuse Mokuba’s ire. There was one person Jou truly worried about pissing off, that was Mokuba Kaiba. The kid seemed sweet, but there was a dark and twisted nature ready to be unleashed in defense of those he cared for. As much as Mokuba loved Yugi, the one person the younger Kaiba would do anything for remained his older brother. “If someone pulled Kaiba’s name ya better step forward now!” Jou barked, his eyes searching his friend’s faces. 

When no one stepped forward, Jou heaved a sigh. “Who pulled my name?” He asked. 

“Oh, I did.” Anzu chimed in, only to have the name plucked from her fingers and another one set in its place. 

“Jou, you can’t take your own name.” Yugi whispered, his hands still rubbing over Mokuba’s back, trying to sooth the younger man. 

“I don’t. I’m taking Kaiba’s name. He will have mine.” Tone matter-of-fact, Jou gave his best friend a wan smile. 

“Seto, won’t know he has your name. He won’t even show up to the party. I know him.” Mokuba’s face twisted into a look that revealed the agony he was feeling.

Giving the young man a smirk, Jou reached out, ruffling soft raven hair. “I know. I have a gift I think will make the both of us happy. No worries, I got this covered.” 

“Jou, I know you mean well, but you don’t understand. My brother hasn’t gotten a gift from anyone aside from me since our parents died. He’s been trying so hard to fit in with us. I begged my brother to come. None of you fully realize the hell Seto has gone through. You don’t realize how lonely he actually is. I bet he was genuinely excited about the gift exchange, but he picked his own name and I brushed him off. I’m a shit brother.” Mokuba muttered darkly, his eyes clouding with pain as streaks of rage flashed across the surface like lightning. 

Ruffling the young man’s hair again, Jou’s grin widened to manic levels. “Mokuba, trust me. I’ve got this. Also, I saw five of you put names back and I’m willing to bet someone pulled Kaiba’s name least one of those times. We haven’t been treating him well, even though it is obvious he’s been trying. We should all be ashamed. We all owe Kaiba. Yeah, he was a dick when we were younger. But, you have to admit that he was there when we needed him. We never had to ask for his help but he always gave it in his own warped off handed way. What happened tonight was cruel. We need to embrace the holiday spirit and give Kaiba a chance, a real chance to be our friend.” 

“Jou is right. We all owe Kaiba. I think we should all pitch in and buy him something as a way of apology.” Yugi added his tone soft but holding the determined steel that had seen him through many trials.

“I agree. I never told anyone this, but Kaiba is the one who helped find me a place to stay when I went to New York to dance. His English is much better than mine, and I was struggling to find a place. He overheard a phone conversation I was failing to have, and he stepped in and had the whole thing sorted out for me in no time. I never thanked him for that.” Anzu whispered, turning to look at her fiance she never would have met if not for Kaiba’s intervention. 

The others agreed, though some were more hesitant to do so. 

********

The snow fell in graceful slow arcs as Seto watched the sky darken in the looming twilight. He had promised Mokuba he’d leave the office early. Keeping a promise to his brother was important, so he left early, but he didn’t head to Yugi’s party. He couldn’t bear to watch the others having fun and exchanging gifts while they all held a deep, secret loathing of him. The sour mood he was in would only ruin their fun and break Mokuba’s heart. 

A solid knock came to the door, the sound bouncing off the walls and echoing through the empty corridors like a lonesome wail. Uncurling himself from the comfortable couch he kept in his home office, Seto checked the time, wondering who would come looking for him. Yugi’s party should have just been starting, and it was unlikely anyone would notice his absence so soon if they even noticed it at all. 

As the solid barrier before him was pulled open, Jou gave a grin, watching surprise flash across the handsome face of Seto Kaiba before it settled into its usual stoic, condescending mask. Breath fogging about him in the chill winter air he held out a gift to the brunet who stared down at it with a dispassionate frown. 

Eyes scanning over the luscious blond on his doorstep, Seto couldn’t help but admire how adorable Jou looked in his hat, puffy jacket, and bright neon orange scarf. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at Yugi’s party with the other insipid fools?” 

Rolling his eyes, Jou thrust the gift at Seto. “Merry Christmas. Take the fucking gift and let me in, I’m freezing my balls off out here.” A shudder ran through Jou as a bitter wind moaned over the frost barren ground. 

Allowing the blond entrance, Seto closed and locked the door, staring at the gift wrapped in shimmering brightly colored paper that sat in the blond’s hands. 

“It ain’t gonna bite ya. Take it already.” Growling, Jou shoved the gift against the brunet’s chest, watching as blue eyes regarded the gift with cool trepidation. 

“What is it?” Seto asked, flicking another look to the blond. The one and only present he had ever gotten from his step-father lead to a haunting memory, stained in blood that he’d rather forget. While he didn’t think anyone in Yugi’s gang was cruel enough to give him anything too damaging as a gift, he knew he had earned their hated and it ran deep. 

Wondering what scars caused such caution over a gift, Jou let out a sigh. “It is a gift. For you. To say we are sorry. We figured out you drew your own name for the exchange, and we all felt bad about it because we know how hard you’ve been trying. So, we all pitched in and got you something.” 

Leading the blond to his home office, Seto placed the gift on the desk, staring at it for a long, quiet moment. 

“Why do you look terrified? It is a gift, Kaiba. You are allowed to open it. I swear to you it ain’t gonna bite, explode, or hurt you.” Jou leaned against the side of the brunet’s desk, watching the strange reaction from the mighty CEO.

The look of fear melted into one of wonder. Long graceful fingers reached out with delicate care, opening the gift, cautious not to rip the paper. 

Jou watched, enchanted by Seto’s rare moment of open vulnerability. The icy CEO looked like a child for a brief, precious moment. When the brunet pulled out the bobble head of his favorite dragon, the warm, genuine smile was fleeting, but it was like the sun breaking on the horizon of a field of virgin snow. It was pure, fragile, and moving in a way that was hard to describe. 

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Jou reached out, touching the brunet’s face. “I have a gift for you too. I traded Anzu so I would have my name. I thought it was only fair. I also wanted to give you something we hopefully will both like. Sorry I didn’t have time to wrap it.” Jou whispered with quiet reverence for the moment he shared with Seto Kaiba before leaning down and pressing a feather-light kiss to soft lips. 

The moment cast a spell of delight that tumbled between them before Seto’s hands latched onto Jou’s face and he pulled the blond down, kissing him hard. 

The kiss was hungry, desperate, and everything Jou had always secretly wanted. He’d had a secret crush that had grown into more over the years. Kaiba still annoyed the hell out of him most days, but his heart belonged to the brunet. He’d been looking for an excuse to push aside his fears and confess to the sexy blue-eyed man, but he’d chickened out more times than he cared to count. When a sly tongue caressed his lips, he happily parted them, surrendering to the brunet’s fervor. 

Pulling from the kiss, Seto gazed into liquid golden eyes that blazed with warmth, desire, and the shimmer of something deeper. “I like you. I have for a long time.” Seto blurted out his long held secret. 

A sultry chuckle escaped Jou’s lips as he slid into the chair with sensuous grace straddling narrow hips, his hand braced on the back of the brunet’s chair as he leaned down pressing a kiss to the tip of Seto’s nose. “I like you too. One day I hope that like will grow to love and you’ll be mine forever. Merry Christmas Seto.” 

“Merry Christmas Katsuya.” Seto whispered in his heart because his words were swallowed by another torrid kiss from the one who gave him the greatest gift of all, a chance to be more.

Pulling from the kiss, Seto scowled up at Jou in confusion. “If you wanted to give me a kiss, how would you have wrapped it?” 

Giving a lewd chuckle, Jou licked at the brunet’s top lip. “I had plans to wrap myself in a ribbon and tie a bow around my throbbing erect cock, but it was too cold for that. Would ya like to take your gift up stairs and unwrap it? I know I want to unwrap mine.” In a low sensual purr, Jou slid his finger into the space between buttons on the brunet’s sweater, pulling it open as his touch danced along silken flesh. 

“Yes, please.” Seto rumbled in delight, scooping the blond up and carrying him off to the bedroom. 

The End. 


End file.
